The D&L Blog

News from the National Canal Museum – July

This month, we’re celebrating 249 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, a story deeply integral to Pennsylvania history as it is to the larger story of America. It is often surprising to visitors to the National Canal Museum that Easton contains so much of the history of this country. In fact, one of the first public readings of the Declaration was in Easton. At noon on July 8, 1776, the recently adopted document was read in Centre Square by Robert Levers.  

This upcoming Saturday, July 12th, provides an opportunity once again to commemorate this event at Easton Heritage Day. A full day of exciting events is planned for downtown Easton, and members of our Museum and Education Staff will be at the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor booth on History Row. Stop by to learn a little about canal history, and chat with us about trail updates.  Just listen for the sound of the conch – we will be bringing one along to demonstrate how they were used nearly 200 years ago on the Lehigh Canal.  

The museum and canal boat will also be operating during the celebration, and I highly recommend taking a break to visit – catch the 1:30 PM or 3:00 PM rides after the reading, enjoy a delicious Owowcow ice cream treat (available at the Welcome Center), and step back in time in the shady and beautiful park.  

We’re also excited to share a new benefit for members at the family/household membership level and above: DLNHC and the National Canal Museum are proud new members of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM)! Now, with your membership, you can enjoy free admission to over 1,200 art, history, science, and children’s museums throughout North America. For this introductory year, we are automatically applying NARM membership benefits to your existing family/household or higher membership, or with renewal at or above that level.  

To use your NARM benefits, you’ll need a NARM sticker on your membership card. You can pick one up at our headquarters in Hugh Moore Park during office hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM) or during museum hours (Wednesday-Sunday, 10:30 AM-4:30 PM). 

Come out this weekend and celebrate with us!  

As a reminder, the Josiah White II runs daily at 12pm, 1:30pm, and 3pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Your boat ride ticket includes admission to the museum, and as always, members are free.  

~ Written by Lianne Greco, DLNHC Director of Museum & Archives

Discover the stories that shaped our region—check out the latest history blog from the National Canal Museum: Celebrating the Delaware: 2025 River of the Year – National Canal Museum – National Canal Museum